The Great Houdini
by This Year's Gurl
Summary: When the CIA is faced with a mole, everyone's a suspect. While the CIA deals with the mole another problem arises concerning a Rambaldi device. First part of a four part series featuring Syd, Irina, Sark, Marshall, Carrie, Jack, Dixon, Vaughn,Katya,Sloane
1. Parts 1 to 5

This takes place during Season 3, during Full Disclosure. This is my first full length fic, and will be the first of a four part series. Please review and let me know what you think. It is quite long, so please be patient with updates.

* * *

**Part One**  
  
_- LA : Downtown -_  
  
Sydney sat in her car, and stared out of the front windscreen. She thought about those two years she had lost. She finally knew what had happened to her, why she couldn't remember. The therapy the Covenant had put her through, the pain, the prodecures, everything. She now knew that she had volunteered for her memory to be extracted, she knew about her work with Lazarey, and how she got that scar. Her thoughts of Lazarey, what he had done to help her....but now he was dead. He knew more than he was letting on, but she would never know. She looked down at the folder sitting on her lap, the one that Kendall had given her on the plane. She stared at the cover, marked "Classified". Syd sighed. She couldn't handle any more surprises that day, so she put the folder inside her briefcase, and turned the keys in the ignition.  
  
_- LA : Syd's apartment -  
_  
Sydney put the key in the lock and turned the handle as she opened her front door. She dumped her briefcase and coat on the kitchen counter, and slumped down in the nearest chair. Within seconds her cell phone began to ring. Syd checked her pockets, but didn't find her phone. She looked over at her briefcase, she sighed. She got out of the chair and opened the briefcase. She took out her phone, just as it stopped ringing. It was an unrecognised number. Syd shrugged and put the phone down on the counter, and took out a bundle of papers, reports that she needed to read through. She began to take them over to the dining table, when a folder slipped out of her hands and onto the floor. It was the folder that Kendall had given her, she had forgotten about it.  
  
Syd set down the bundle of papers, and sat down with the folder. She slowly opened the cover, afraid of what information the folder may hold. It contained documents, concerning a mole within the CIA. She flicked through the pages, skimming over the words until she got to the 5th page. "Oh my God," she gasped. She turned page after page, reading every word to see whether it could be real. By the time she got to the last page her eyes were filled with tears. Her fears were confirmed when she turned to a photograph, depicting the mole with Sark. The mole was working for the covenant. Syd wiped her eyes and grabbed her phone. She had to tell someone about this.  
  
**Part Two**  
  
_- LA : Shipyard -_  
  
Jack leant against the back of his car, as Sydney slowly pulled up beside him. She got out of the car, and handed over the folder.  
  
"Now are you sure that the contents of this folder have not been fabricated?" Jack asked as he took the folder from Sydney, and began to look through it. He scanned through the documents, and looked up at his daughter.  
  
"Who did you get this from?"  
  
"Kendall, he gave it to me after he told me everything he knew....There's a contact number in the back on the folder," Syd moved over to her father, and pointed to the back of the folder.  
  
He closed the folder and handed it back to Syd, before heading for his car door.  
  
"Call the number. If you can confirm this information, we will need to take it to Dixon."  
  
Syd nodded. They both got into their cars, and drove away in different directions.  
  
_- LA: Syd's apartment -_  
  
Sydney picked up the phone and dialed the number from the back of the folder. She had no idea what to expect. She recognised the number as a British number. The phone rang for almost a minute, before it was picked up.  
  
"Hello," said a woman with an English accent.  
  
"Hi, I need to ask you a few questions, " Syd said, not sure of what she should give away.  
  
"About what?" The woman replied.  
  
"Do you know a man named Kendall?"  
  
"Who are you?" The woman asked, avoiding the question.  
  
"Sara Godson" Sydney said confidently.  
  
"Really? I know your mother, Catherine Godson."  
  
Syd didn't know how to react, after all, it was only an Alias she had previously used.  
  
"Hello Sydney." The woman's accent changed.  
  
"Mom?" Syd was in shock, why was she giving information to Kendall? Syd was bewildered for a few seconds.  
  
**Part three  
**  
_- LA : Syd's apartment -_  
  
"Don't act so surprised. Do you think i would give up my search for you just because your father was placed in solitary?" Irina asked.  
  
"Why are you helping Kendall?" Sydney asked. She wasn't convinced that Irina had been providing the info.  
  
"He knew where you were, in order to gain his trust we came to an agreement. If I helped him, he helped me. Have you taken the mole into custody?"  
  
"No. I still don't believe you. For all I know you're setting me up for something," Syd was doubting the credibility of the contents of the folder she had in front of her.  
  
"Why are you still involved with the CIA? SD-6 is no more, you know about your 2 years...so what is keeping you from leaving?"  
  
Sydney didn't reply. She knew that her mother was avoiding something. She also knew that she had no reason to lie, to give false information. But she couldn't let herself trust Irina, after all she had done.  
  
"My loyalties lie with my family. You may not see it, you may not believe it, but it is the truth. It may take you years to realise this. The truth takes time." Irina said before hanging up.  
  
Sydney sat down, with the phone still in her hand. She still didn't know whether or not the information was plausible. She pushed her hair out of her face and sighed. She picked up the photo of Carrie with Sark. Why didn't she notice anything?  
  
_- Base ops : Rotunda -_  
  
Jack entered the rotunda and headed straight for Sydney. He now had enough information to confirm that Carrie was working with the Covenant. They could now take the issue to Dixon, but not before he talked to Syd.  
  
He stopped a few feet away from Sydney, she was on the phone. He waited until she was free, and steered her into the briefing room, closing the doors behind them. He placed the laptop he had been carrying onto the desk, and turned it on and began to type.  
  
"What's going on?" Syd asked, concerned.  
  
"Your mother contacted me, she said she had information that could be of use to us, this is it." Jack spun the laptop around so that Sydney could see the screen. She sat down and began to read the document in front of her.  
  
It was a list of missions and errors that occurred on them. All could be linked back to Carrie, who was either away from the Ops Centre or on a business trip with the NSA.  
  
"I have already checked the logs, the information about the missions and their errors are correct, and Carrie's absences match exactly to the dates. Jack closed the laptop, "Sydney, there's something else your mother told me....There's another mole."  
  
"Another mole?" Syd didn't know what to think. Who else could be involved?  
  
"Yes, that is why we must keep this to ourselves, no one else must know about Carrie's involvement with the Covenant. We don't have enough evidence to back a second mole.."  
  
"That doesn't matter, we're taking this to Dixon." Sydney said as they both exited the briefing room. She picked up her briefcase and took out the folder. They both went to Dixon's office, and waited to be invited inside.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
Weiss watched the Bristows, and was soon joined by Vaughn.  
  
"What's up with them?" Asked Weiss, before taking a bite out of an apple.  
  
"No idea." Vaughn replied.  
  
They both stood and watched as the Bristows handed over several pieces of paper, and Jack's laptop. They watched Dixon's reaction to whatever it was that they had shown him.  
  
"Whatever it is, it must be big." Weiss said before leaving Vaughn's side. Vaughn watched him go, then turned his attention back to Dixon's office. He didn't like that he was in the dark. Why hadn't Sydney told him what was going on? Vaughn knew the answer...Lauren.  
  
**Part Four**  
  
_- LA streets -_  
  
Carrie checked her rear view mirror, making sure that she wasn't being followed. Since she had joined the NSA she had to take precautions. Convinced that she wasn't being followed, she turned into her driveway. Marshall was home already, and came out to greet his girlfriend. Not more than 100 metres away, a man in a black car pulled in to the curb, making sure that he had not been seen. He watched the couple enter their home, before getting out of his car. He took out a gun, and made sure that it was loaded, before he made his way up to the house.  
  
_- Base ops : Dixon's office -_  
  
Dixon took a sip of coffee as he took off his headset. It was late. He glanced around the rotunda. Most of the agents had gone home. He knew he should've been at home too, but something was keeping him there. Dixon watched as Sydney began to make her way over to his office. His phone began to ring, just as Syd got to the door, he picked up the phone and motioned for Sydney to come in.  
  
"Hello, this is Director Dixon," he said as he motioned for Syd to take a seat.  
  
"Dixon! Carrie! She's, she's gone! They, they came, now she's.." Marshall said hysterically.  
  
"Who came? Marshall calm down," Dixon said sternly. He looked up at Sydney. She gave him a questioning look.  
  
"Someone came, they shot her, they shot me. And they took her. Oh God she's gone Dixon, she's gone," Marshall was gasping for air.  
  
"Marshall, calm down. I'll send a team over, don't worry, we'll find her."  
  
"We have to find her!" Marshall was getting frustrated, how could he be helping by talking on the phone? He hung up.  
  
"Marshall?" Dixon asked. "He hung up, Syd, call Vaughn, get a team together, you need to get over to Marshall's house now."  
  
_- LA: Marshall's apartment -_  
  
"Of course they'll find her, they're the good guys, the good guys always triumph over evil." Marshall sat in an armchair in front of the fire, talking to himself as the team of agents scoured the apartment for evidence. Syd put a hand on his shoulder as she handed him a cup of coffee. "She'll be ok."  
  
Syd joined Vaughn in the kitchen. He was studying the tranquiliser dart that Marshall had been shot with. "Do you really think it's smart to be giving him coffee? He's already wired as it is." He glanced over to Marshall, who was jiggling his leg around.  
  
Syd looked down.  
  
"What's wrong?" Vaughn asked, concerned.  
  
"Nothing." She replied quickly.  
  
"Oh come on Syd, i can tell when something's wrong..."  
  
"Can you?" Vaughn frowned and looked away. A moment passed.  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just, he's such a sweetheart, and Carrie...who would do something like this?" Sydney watched Marshall. He stopped jiggling his leg. He was now fiddling with something.  
  
"Judging by these darts, and the power they'd need behind them, they would have used a gun similar to the standard issue of the Covenant. But we need to get this over to the lab, they'll be able to determine what was used." Vaughn said as he placed the dart into a bag, and took it over to another agent.  
  
Sydney picked up a bag and handed it over to the same agent. Their work here was done, they now had the dart, and two other agents were on the trail of a suspicious car that was parked approximately 100 metres away. The team began to move out, but Syd stayed behind. Marshall stood.  
  
"You'll find her, you're the best, you're Sydney, you'll find her......" He looked up at Syd, he was on the verge of tears, "Won't you?"  
  
"Of course we will," Syd said, forcing a smile. Marshall began to cry. She wasn't sure what she should do. Marshall slumped down into the chair, Syd sat down beside him. She put her arm around his shoulder as he cried. She thought of numerous things to say, but she knew it was better just to sit in silence.  
  
**Part Five**  
  
_- LA: Warehouse -_  
  
Carrie slowly began to wake up. She lifted her head and looked at her surroundings. She tried to remember what had happened. Carrie was confused, she was kidnapped, and was being held in a cell...but by who? The covenant? Had they pulled her out of the mission? Had she done something wrong? Maybe they were terminating her. She shuddered.  
  
Carrie sat up in her cell, and turned to see a man walk up to the glass.  
  
"Agent Bristow?" She asked, surprised.  
  
"Yes, Miss Bowman, if that even is your real name?" Jack said glaring at her menacingly.  
  
Carrie looked down, the CIA knew that she was a traitor.  
  
"What are you going to do to me?" Carrie asked, she had a few ideas of what would happen...  
  
"You are in no position to be asking questions." Jack said before he left the warehouse.  
  
_- Base ops : Rotunda -_  
  
"Are the labs back on the dart?" Dixon asked as Vaughn entered the rotunda.  
  
"Yes, I have them here," he said as he handed them over.  
  
Dixon took out the results and read through them. "Unknown compound? Unable to be identified?" He screwed up the paper and threw it in the nearest bin.  
  
Vaughn frowned. He looked away and noticed Lauren walking towards Dixon and himself. He straightened up and smiled.  
  
"Hi," he said.  
  
"Hi," Lauren replied. She glanced at him quickly before handing a piece of paper to Dixon. "I narrowed down the car search to 3 vehicles. All 3 come under the descriptions given to us of the vehicle."  
  
"Good, at least we are getting somewhere," Dixon handed back the paper and excused himself.  
  
"You're on the case?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"Yes, my superiers thought that I should help with the search. Carrie is NSA, I want to make sure we get her home safely." Lauren replied.  
  
"And what, we can't do our job properly?" Vaughn asked. For some reason, everything Lauren said recently annoyed him more than it should.  
  
"I didn't mean it that way, and neither did the NSA," she said to him. She noticed that he'd been distant recently. She had her suspicions as to why.  
  
Vaughn's expression changed as Syd entered the Rotunda. Lauren followed his gaze, and rolled her eyes. Sydney Bristow wasn't helping their marriage. Lauren couldn't stand being in the same room as her, so she excused herself before Syd got close enough for them to have a conversation.  
  
Weiss walked past, eating a bag of corn chips. Vaughn ignored him, and opened his mouth to speak to Syd, but she bypassed him, and headed straight for Dixon's office. He felt like an idiot. He looked for Weiss, but couldn't see him anywhere.  
  
_- Base ops : Rotunda -_  
  
"Jack, Sydney, please, sit down," Dixon said motioning to the two seats in front of his desk.  
  
Jack and Syd both sat down. Dixon looked at Jack, and then at Sydney.  
  
"Do we have the mole in custody?" Dixon asked, aiming the question at Jack, afterall, he was the one who was in charge of this secret operation.  
  
"Yes, she is being held at a warehouse downtown. The operation was successful, every agent involved in this...search believe that the Covenant is behind this." Jack said as he glanced over at his daughter. She seemed distracted.  
  
"Good. And this second mole, are we any closer to finding out their identity?" Dixon asked, directing the question at Sydney, who didn't answer.  
  
"Syd?" Dixon asked, as her attention turned back to Dixon.  
  
"Sorry. We have no leads, there is absolutely no evidence pointing to who the second mole could be. At this point, everyone is under suspicion." She said quickly.  
  
"I don't like this. We're completely in the dark."  
  
"No, not completely. We have one mole in our custody, she must know the identity of the second." Jack replied. "I will begin the interrogation, we will know who the second mole is soon."  
  
"We can't trust anyone with this information at this time. Everyone is a suspect, including Marshall." Jack said sternly.  
  
"You can't be serious?" Syd was pissed off. "He's facing the loss of someone he loves, and you can't help but accuse him?"  
  
"Your father is right, we cannot dismiss the idea that Marshall may be involved. He is closest to Carrie, he may have been persuaded to help her."  
  
"I don't believe this. He deserves to know the truth."  
  
"And he will in time Sydney, as soon as we know the identity of the second mole, you will be authorised to tell him of Carrie's betrayal. Until then, not a word. Dixon dismissed the Bristows. He leaned back in his chair and thought about these moles. How could he be so stupid as to not notice them? He frowned and looked out into the rotunda. Everyone was a suspect, anyone could be disloyal.  
  
_- LA: Warehouse -_  
  
"Who is the second mole?" Jack asked Carrie.  
  
"Second mole? I don't know what you're talking about.." Carrie replied quickly, Jack was very intimidating. She looked down at her wrists and ankles, she was chained to an old dentists chair. Next to her lay a set of tools, all used for torturing.  
  
"If you do not co-operate, you will be subjected to the most intense physical tortures, and i will not hesitate to prove this to you." Jack said as he picked up a scalpel.  
  
Carrie winced as Jack drove it into her side. The pain didn't phase her, she had been trained well, and wouldn't break under the pressure. She was prepared to die for the Covenant.  
  
"Who is the second mole?" Jack asked again slowly. He waited a few seconds before driving the scalpel into her side again.  
  
Carrie looked up at him and smiled.  
  
_- LA: Syd's apartment -_  
  
Syd took a pint of ice cream out of the freezer, the only good cure for anything. She would've gone to the shooting range, but it was closed for renevations. She took out a spoon and sat down at the kitchen table. After a few mouth fulls she could hear a beeping sound. Her beeper was going off. Syd sighed. She took it out and read the message.  
  
"Meet me at the docks, 10pm"  
  
Syd sat up straight. The sender was unknown. She looked down at her watch, 9:54. She had 6 minutes to get down to the docks. Without even questioning the danger of this meeting, she put on her coat and got into her car.  
  
_- LA : Warehouse -_  
  
"I will ask you one more time, who is the second mole?" Jack asked as he lifted her index finger on her right hand.  
  
By this time, Carrie was beginning to pass out from the pain. She had cuts down her arms, down her sides, her face. And 3 of her fingers had been broken. She was grateful that he hadn't harmed her baby. That was her only weakness.  
  
Jack pulled back her finger, snapping it with force. Carrie winced. He could tell that he wasn't getting anywhere. So he decided to bring out the truth serum. He lifted a needle and a tiny vial. He slowly drained the vial's contents into the needle.  
  
"Sodium penathol," Jack said as he removed all air bubbles. He held Carrie's arm still as he began to inject her with the drug. Carrie knew that she was about to betray the Covenant, but at least she had done all she could to witheld the information so far into the torture session.  
  
"Who is the second mole?"  
  
_- LA : The docks -_  
  
Sydney drove into the specified meeting place and turned off her headlights. She looked down at her watch, 9:59pm. She checked her gun, and made sure it was loaded. She slid it into the back of her pants, under her jacket. She looked out into the darkness, and waited. Syd didn't know what to expect, she felt foolish for letting herself come down here by herself. But deep down she knew what to expect.  
  
Syd spotted a pair of headlights approaching from the south. She watched as the car slowly pulled up directly across from her. She looked down at her watch, 10pm. A figure got out of the car opposite from her, and began to walk towards her. Syd couldn't see who it was, the lack of light prevented her from identifying the person. Sydney opened her car door and began to walk. The two of them met halfway between each other's cars.  
  
Sydney recognised the figure. Irina took out a folder from beneath her jacket, and handed it over. Syd took it from her and began to look through it. She knew that asking questions would be a waste of time.  
  
"He had been working for me for years, up until two years ago. Exactly the same day that you disappeared, his loyalties changed. After I went into hiding, after I escaped in New Mexico, he found himself without an employer, that's when he turned to the Covenant. They gave him an offer he couldn't refuse...." Irina continued to explain her sources, what she knew, as Syd read the name of the mole.  
  
Sydney could no longer hear her mother talking. Everything went silent, and the name of the mole repeated over and over in her mind. She questioned the information in her mind, but the evidence, what Irina had told her, it was all true.  
  
_- LA : Warehouse -_  
  
Jack wiped his hands with a white cloth and watched the prisoner, who was now unconcsious from the pain he had inflicted. He undid her restraints, and placed her on the cot set up within the cell. He wheeled out the chair and removed the various tools from the cell. He relocked the door and let out a deep breath. He now had the identity of the second mole, but how could he break it to Sydney? 


	2. Parts 6 to 10

**Part Six**   
  
_ Base Ops : Car park _  
  
A figure walked across the car park, heading for a car in the far corner of the level. They took out a set of keys and unlocked the car, before climbing into the back seat. They slid out a laptop from beneath the seat, and logged on. They knew the sepcifications of their next meeting with the Covenant, and they were right on time. A chat room appeared on screen, and they began to type in a message under the name of _meatloaf32_ . Within seconds they had a reply, and a personal window was opened.   
  
_meatloaf32_ : Why aren't you doing anything?  
  
_backinblack41_ : We are doing the best we can to locate your partner. Does the CIA have any clue as to who is responsible?  
  
_meatloaf32_ : A rebel group of some kind. The search is protected by a high level of clearance, i am not a part of the team.  
  
_backinblack41_ : You were instructed to retrieve CIA files concering this kindnapping.   
  
_meatloaf32_ : The clearance has been downgraded. If i access these files i will incriminate myself. I might as well prance around the office in a shirt saying "I'm a mole, ask me how?"  
  
_backinblack41_ : My opinion of you has just dropped 10 points, I believe you shall make up for it. Access the files, and whoever is responsible for this will be dealt with accordingly.  
  
They closed the laptop and replaced it in its original position beneath the seat, before getting out of the car. The figure walked away from the car and headed back to their office to do the job.  
  
_ Base Ops : Dixon's Office _  
  
Dixon sat looking down at the piece of paper in front of him. Both of the Bristows had been to see him, they both knew the identity of the mole. Only the two of them and himself knew. He watched his employees at work. The rotunda was in full swing. Every agent was doing something, and none of them knew of the traitor amongst them. But they soon would.  
  
He picked up his phone, and made the appropriate call. The second mole would be taken away as soon as Dixon caught sign of him, as soon as he gave the signal. Dixon watched as the mole crossed the rotunda and entered their office. He picked up his cell phone, and entered in a code : 147. He sent it and stood from his chair, getting ready for what was about to take place.  
  
_ Base Ops : Rotunda _  
  
Syd placed her phone back on its hook. She had been talking with Marshall. He wasn't doing that well. Syd knew it would be hard for him to deal with, she thought it would be easier for him if he wasn't living at home. She thought it would do him good to get out of the place full of memories, and stay at her apartment for a while. Besides, being worried about Marshall's well-being, Syd also knew that the Covenant would have bugged the house, like Alison had done to her. She decided that she would bring it up with Dixon, as soon as she had a talk with Jack.  
  
Syd looked up as Vaughn entered the rotunda, and headed for his office. She watched him lock his door and take a seat at his computer. She found his behaviour odd, but didn't want to bother him. Instead she decided to ask Weiss about Vaughn. But he was also in his office, working at his computer. She looked around the room, everyone was either at their desks or in the offices, hard at work.   
  
Jack passed by Syd. She grabbed his arm and led him to the side of the room. She looked up at her father, and looked around the room. She spotted Lauren watching them from her office. Syd looked back at Jack.  
  
"I know who the mole is....It's.." Syd began.  
  
Before she could finish a team entered the rotunda, dressed in stealth gear and fully equipped. The team leader yelled for everyone to remain still, as they passed across the rotunda. They spread out and looked for their target. The team passed the desks and started to look into the offices. Syd and Jack looked over to Dixon, who stood at his door with a grim expression on his face.  
  
"Target spotted," one man said before another kicked in the door.   
  
The team spilled into the office, surrounding the agent at his desk. Weiss looked up from his computer, and put his hands in the air.  
  
"Stand, slowly." One instructed him, "Turn towards the wall, hands behind your head," instructed another.  
  
Weiss followed their instructions as he was hand-cuffed. The team dragged him from the rotunda. He glanced at Vaughn, Lauren, Jack and Syd questioningly, before he looked over at Dixon, who was looking down at the ground. Weiss struggled, but the team, 12 men strong kept him in place. They took him down to the holding cell where he would later be questioned.  
  
Vaughn approached Sydney and Jack. Out of the whole office, they were the only two besides Dixon who had no reaction to the event that had just passed. This was their secret, the thing they had kept him in the dark on, and he was angry. Weiss was..._is_ his best friend. He deserved to know what was going on. Sydney looked up as Vaughn stopped in front of her.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.  
  
"We were instructed to." Jack replied, glaring at Vaughn. He had started to like Vaughn, but that was slowly going down hill.  
  
"And you always follow the rules? I deserved to know, you both know that."  
  
"We didn't know who the mole was until last night, until then everyone was under suspicion." Syd replied.  
  
"We do not need to explain our actions to you, Mr. Vaughn." Jack said before leaving the discussion.  
  
"Don't you trust me anymore?" Vaughn asked, looking into Syd's eyes.  
  
Sydney looked down at her feet, "Of course I trust you, it's more complicated than trust..."  
  
Dixon approached them.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt, but there will be a briefing on the current situation in the briefing room in 5 minutes." Dixon looked at Syd then at Vaughn, he could tell he had interrupted something. He turned and went back into his office.  
  
Vaughn looked away, and spotted Lauren sitting down at her desk. She noticed him looking at her. He left his conversation with Sydney and went to his wife. Syd watched as they hugged, and Lauren comforted him. Syd looked away, she couldn't handle watching the two of them together. She decided to go into the briefing room a few minutes early, and wait for the meeting to begin. But before she entered the room, she received a call from Marshall.  
  
**Part Seven**  
  
_ Base Ops : Briefing Room _  
  
Dixon stood at the front of the room, and looked at the agents seated in front of him. All of them were good friends with Weiss, all were shattered with the event that had passed. But he knew that they were entitled to a full briefing. He cleared his throat, and began.  
  
"I know you all will have many questions that I will hopefully answer for you now. The only way i can even begin to explain, is to start from the beginning."   
  
Sydney looked at Marshall's seat across from her. She frowned. He deserved to be there, but from her previous conversation with him, he wasn't in any condition to be in that briefing room with them. She turned her attention back to Dixon.  
  
"We were first notified of a mole within this office recently. Agent Bristow," he began, indicating Sydney, "received a folder filled with documents that proved the presence of a mole. This was confirmed, and the mole was dealt with accordingly." He paused, and pressed a button on the remote in his hand.   
  
A picture appeared on the screen behind him. It was the photo of Carrie with Sark. Everyone in the room was shocked. Several of them began to ask questions, but Dixon cut them off.  
  
"Carrie Bowman, a loyal member of the Covenant was taken into custody earlier. Everyone was let to believe that she was kidnapped by the Covenant, when it was us who took her into custody. She helped us with our searches for a second mole. She confirmed that the second mole was Weiss, and as you know, was taken into custody."  
  
He handed out folders to everyone except Jack and Sydney. The folders contained copies of the documents incriminating each mole.  
  
"Read through them. These will hopefully answer all of your remaining questions. I have nothing more to tell you, so please, excuse me." Dixon left the briefing room and sat down in his office.  
  
_ Base Ops : Dixon's Office _  
  
"Sydney, come in," Dixon said as he watched her sit in one of the chairs.  
  
"You wanted to see me?" Syd asked, concerned.  
  
"Yes, I wanted to inform you that we are moving Agent Weiss to another location. We do not have the necessary equipment to begin a proper interrogation session." Dixon said, waiting for Sydney's response.  
  
"Moving him, where? You can't be sure that it'll be safe, the Covenant will want to extract him."  
  
"Camp Harris. We are taking extra precautions with the move. Four armoured cars will accompany the van to the facility. We will be taking no risks."  
  
Sydney wasn't satisfied with the answer. She knew that the Covenant would do everything in their power to prevent the move. But she cleared the thoughts from her mind, and remembered what she wanted to discuss with Dixon.  
  
"Marshall needs to know the truth, he wasn't in any shape to be in the breifing, but he does deserve to be informed."   
  
"Yes, he does. And I think you should be the one to tell him." Dixon paused, "You have known him longer than anyone else in this office. He trusts you, and I'm sure he would appreciate it if you were the one to inform him."  
  
Syd nodded. She agreed with Dixon, she should be the one to tell him...But it would be so hard for her to do.  
  
"Here is Marshall's folder," Dixon said as he passed Syd a copy of the folder everyone else had received, "Give this to him, it may help him believe that it is true."  
  
"Ok. Is it safe for Marshall to be staying in his house? It was swept for bugs, but other types of devices may have been set that cannot be picked up with our equipment." Sydney said, concerned.  
  
"Yes, I have considered this myself. When you inform him about Carrie, ask him to stay with you, make it seem like an offer rather than an order."  
  
"You want him to stay with me?" Syd asked, surprised.  
  
"Will it be a problem?"  
  
"No, no problem." Sydney stood, and began to leave.   
  
"Sydney..." Dixon began, stopping her before she left his office, "Good luck."  
  
_ LA : Marshall's apartment  
_  
Marshall opened the door to find Sydney standing on his front steps. She smiled, and he invited her in. Syd looked around, the place was a mess. Clothes were thrown everywhere, rubbish lay scattered across the floor and tables, and left-over food lay in various places around the room. He cleared a spot for Syd to sit down on the couch.  
  
"Please excuse the mess, I'm not much of a housewife, my mum used to do everything before.." Marshall trailed off. "Would you like something to drink? I've got cocktails.."   
  
"No, i'm fine, thank you." Syd replied. She was working up the courage to tell Marshall the truth about Carrie's disappearance.  
  
"Any news?" He asked nervously, he was afraid that Syd's answer wouldn't be good.  
  
"I need to talk to you about something." Syd said, trying to keep a happy face.  
  
Marshall frowned and looked away, that sentence never meant anything good. He thought his fears were about to become reality. He took a seat next to Sydney, he was shaking. She took a deep breath, and began to explain.  
  
"Marshall, we've known where Carrie has been all along..."   
  
"What?" Marshall exclaimed, he was confused.  
  
"Carrie wasn't kidnapped, it was only made to seem like she had been. It was a CIA operation, Carrie was taken into CIA custody."   
  
"I, I don't understand..." Marshall looked around the room, he didn't understand what she was saying.  
  
"Marshall," Sydney began, she took his hands into hers, "Carrie is a mole. She is loyal to the Covenant, not the CIA."   
  
"No, no. She..Carrie wouldn't. I don't believe..."  
  
"I know it's hard to believe, but it is true. She has betrayed the US Government, she has betrayed you, Marshall." Sydney looked down at the ground. She hated to be the one to tell him this.  
  
Marshall disappeared down the hallway. Syd stood and began to follow when a loud crash came from the room on the left. Syd stood at the doorway as Marshall kicked his bass drum in. The rest of the drumkit lay broken across the floor. He picked up the cymbals and swung them around, knocking a lamp to the floor. He suddenly stopped, and looked around at what he had done. He rushed past Sydney, and went into another room in the hallway.  
  
"Marshall.." Sydney began as she followed him into the room, and paused. Marshall stood in the middle of a room, decorated with neutral colours, lemons and greens. A cot stood in the far corner, a rocking horse and a cradle in the other. Toys laid scattered across the floorboards. Trains, cars, dolls, bears. Marshall bent down and picked up a teddy bear.   
  
"I can't...how could she do this? To us, to the baby? What...what's going to happen?" He left the nursery and went back into the lounge room. Marshall turned to Syd, his eyes filled with tears. He moved towards her, as the tears began to spill down his cheeks. "Sydney what am i going to do?" Marshall fell into Sydney's arms, she tried to comfort him. He cried into Syd's shoulder. She'd never seen him like this before.   
  
"We'll work something out, i'm sure of it, " Syd replied, still with her arms around Marshall.   
  
_ LA : Highway _  
  
The CIA convoy, consisting of one van, and four un-marked cars headed south towards the facility. The roads were quiet, compared to the usual amount of traffic. The agent seated beside the driver of the van kept a lookout for any unusual vehicles. Every agent was on full alert.   
  
The van began to slow down, as a road-block came into view. Four police cars were parked across the road, and road blockades had been put into place.   
  
"We are approaching a police enforced road block, what are our orders?" The passenger in the van said over the comm system.  
  
"Proceed with caution." An agent stationed in Base Ops replied.   
  
"Copy that," replied the several agents in each vehicle.  
  
The van came to a complete stop, metres before the police cars. The four cars pulled up around the van, forming a protective wall from any imminent attacks. Two police men began to approach the van, and stood outside the driver's window.   
  
"I'm sorry sir, but i'm going to have to ask you to step out of the vehicle," the policeman said to the driver.  
  
The driver pulled out his CIA badge, and showed it to the officer. The officer studied the badge, and nodded. He turned to his partner, and nodded. He pulled out his gun from his holster, and shot the driver and the passenger within seconds of each other. Every agent exited their vehicles and crouched to the ground, guns drawn. More officers began to emerge from the police cars and surrounding area, all Covenant members. The CIA agents were cleary out-numbered.   
  
"Base Ops we're being fired at, two agents down, I repeat, two agents down." One agent said into his comm.  
  
"Copy that. Re-inforcements are on their way."  
  
Both sides fired at each other, hoping to weaken their defences. The Covenant had the upper hand, and were advancing towards the van. Within minutes the gun battle was over. Every CIA agent lay dead beside their vehicles. One Covenant member searched the men from the van, and found a set of keys. The van was unlocked, and a surprised Weiss was lead from the vehicle.  
  
The sound of a helicopter could be heard approaching from the north. The Covenant members cleared the roads and got into their cars. They drove off road onto a concealed road, and away from the scene. CIA backup arrived, but they were too late.   
  
_ LA : location unknown _  
  
"The operation was successful, Weiss is with us now," a man said confidently.  
  
Sark nodded and put his phone down. He smiled. He had once again successfully taken someone out of custody. He couldn't believe how stupid the Americans were. He smiled to himself. Sark stood and left the room.  
  
He entered another room, equipped with surveillance equipment. He took a seat in front of a monitor, and watched the screen. The equipment monitored Carrie's house which she happened to share with a CIA agent.   
  
"Nice of you to comfort your colleague Miss Bristow," he said to himself, as he watched Sydney comforting Marshall.   
  
** Part Eight**  
  
_ LA : Marshall's apartment_  
  
Marshall looked down at the folder that Sydney had given to him. Tears filled his eyes. The words were a blur. He couldn't make anything out. He looked down at the six pack in front of him. Marshall wasn't much of a drinker, he was told to steer clear of it, and his mum knew best. Music was blaring from his stereo, but for some reason he couldn't hear anything. He stood, knocking the food wrappers and bottles that surrounded him onto the floor, and turned up the volume. The Joni Mitchell song played over and over on repeat. Marshall couldn't come to terms with what Syd had told him the night before.   
  
He wiped the tears away, and looked through the folder. Weiss and Carrie, in it together...he was still in denial about it all. But in the back of his mind he knew it was true. He flicked to a photograph of Carrie and Sark. A rage came over him, he wanted to kill her. But he knew that it wouldn't solve anything. He couldn't hurt a fly let alone the woman he loved. He took out a beer and cracked it open. He skulled down the beer in his hand, and opened another bottle. he disregarded his mother's warnings. Marshall's situation was different. His father was an alcoholic, Marshall was just looking for a way to drown his sorrows. A fire in his fireplace raged before him, but he couldn't feel the heat. He felt numb. He pulled out the photograph and looked at it. A piece of paper fell from behind it. It was a note from Sydney. He began to feel the warmth..  
  
_ LA : location unknown   
_  
Sark picked up the phone beside him and dialled in a number. He leaned back in his chair and counted the number of rings that passed. As soon as the count hit 6 he hung up. He sat patiently, and waited for his call to be returned. It was the protocol he must follow, in order to talk to this contact.   
  
The phone began to ring. He watched the receiver and waited, 3 rings passed, and he picked up.  
  
"Hello," Sark said into the receiver.  
  
"Mr Sark, nice of you to call. It has been a while." The woman replied with a heavy European accent.  
  
"Yes, it has. We need to meet."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I will email you the specifications of the meeting." Sark said before hanging up.   
  
Sark began to type on the laptop in front of him. He sent the details on the meeting, and clicked send.   
  
_ Base Ops : Dixon's Office _  
  
Dixon looked up as Vaughn entered his office.   
  
"We have located the files, but we do not know whether or not we are able to recover them." Vaughn said.  
  
"Good. As soon as we have an I.D. on the shooter, report back to me." Dixon replied, his mind was somewhere else.  
  
"Everything ok?" Vaughn asked, concerned.  
  
"Yes, fine..." Dixon said as he sighed. He was lying, and Vaughn knew it. Vaughn's expression grew more concerned.   
  
"The Covenant has Weiss...."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"They managed to intercept the vehicles, there was nothing we could've done." Dixon said, knowing that there was so much more he could have done to ensure Weiss' arrival at the facility.  
  
Vaughn turned and left the office.   
  
_ LA : Syd's apartment_  
  
Syd could smell something burning. "Marshall!" She yelled, noticing the smoke pouring out of the toaster.  
  
Marshall jumped up, and began to freak out. Sydney turned off the power and opened the kitchen window. She smiled.   
  
"I'm the tech guy that can't handle a toaster." He smiled, hoping that Syd wouldn't be mad with him. He shrugged. "Maybe i could fit a complex timing system onto it, relay the wiring so that the toast will cook for the right amount of time without being burnt." He said as he took out two pieces of burnt toast, and threw them into the bin.  
  
Syd smiled. Marshall seemed to be happier.   
  
"Sure, why not?" Syd wanted to keep him occupied.   
  
He unplugged the toaster and sat down with it at the dining table. He began to pull it apart, and examine its contents. He suddenly stopped what he was doing. He put down the various tools he had in his hands, and looked up at Syd.  
  
"I want to see her."   
  
**Part Nine**  
  
_LA : Warehouse  
_  
Irina looked down at the bodies surrounding her. They were the bodies of five armed guards, guards that were put into place to protect the warehouse in which Carrie was being held. She bent down and searched their pockets for a set of keys. She found what she was looking for, andstepped over them. She unlocked the opened the door and crossed over to the cell. She stood at the door, and watched Carrie, who was sleeping.  
  
Irina unlocked the cell door and crept towards Carrie. She took out a knife and stabbed Carrie in the stomach. Carrie was now awake, and looked down at her stomach, and then back up at Irina. Irina withdrew the knife and looked down at the blade....it was clean. Carrie leant against the wall, there was nothing she could do to stop her.  
  
"Interesting," Irina said. The roller door behind her began to open, she ignored it, and drew back the knife again.   
  
Sydney stood outside the warehouse, the door open. She knew that something was wrong. There weren't any guards around. She looked back at Marshall, who was close behind her. Syd looked towards the cell to see Irina with a knife.  
  
"Call Dixon, let him know that we need to take Carrie to a facility with a higher level security. And wait here," she said before she took out her gun, and made her way to the cell.  
  
"What? Why? What's going on?" Marshall said nervously, but Syd was at the cell door. He wanted to avoid seeing Carrie. He was afraid, he still loved her, and he couldn't stand to see her locked up like that. He couldn't see why she was being so cautious, he left the doorway, and went for a walk.  
  
"Drop the knife," Sydney said, her gun aimed at her mother.   
  
Irina ignored her. She grabbed Carrie by the hair and yanked back, exposing her neck. Irina wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Syd was now behind her, but Irina was paying no attention to her.   
  
"You kill her, I kill you." Sydney said slowly, her gun aimed at the back of Irina's head.  
  
Carrie looked at Syd, fear in her eyes. Syd knocked the knife out of Irina's hand, and got her in a lock. Carrie backed up against the wall and watched the two of them struggle. Irina gave in, she knew that she wouldn't get her revenge on Carrie. Not today at least. She allowed Sydney to place a pair of cuffs on her, and lead her from the cell.  
  
"She deserves to die..."   
  
Before Syd could lead her out of the warehouse, Irina stopped and looked back at Carrie. She glared at her menacingly, and Carrie knew that she would be back. Sydney tried to lead her away, out of the the warehouse, but she wouldn't budge.   
  
"You might want to check on her baby, I'm surprised you didn't notice the stab wound..."   
  
Sydney looked at her in disgust. How could she harm an innocent baby? She knew her mother was cruel, but not that cruel. She left Irina tied to a railing, and went back to the cell. She slowly approached Carrie, who was sitting on her bed. She looked up suspiciously at Sydney. Carrie knew what she wanted. Sydney looked for a wound, but could see no blood. She lifted up her shirt, and Carrie looked away, tears filling her eyes.  
  
"Oh my God," Sydney gasped, and looked back at Irina. "How could you?"  
  
**Part Ten  
**  
_LA : Warehouse  
_  
Irina watched as Carrie began to fall apart. Syd stood and walked away from her, her hand covering her mouth. Carrie was crying.  
  
"What about Marshall? He thought he was going to be a father. You let him believe...How?" Sydney asked her angrily.  
  
Carrie took in a deep breath, "I didn't mean to hurt him..." She looked down at her stomach. She half wanted her pregnancy to be real. She undid the fake stomach, and put it next to her. "Please, don't tell him, let me.."   
  
Sydney glared at her. Carrie had already broken his heart. She had taken his happiness away from him...This would only shatter him. But Syd knew that he had to be told. She nodded.  
  
"Fine, you will get the chance to soon."  
  
Syd left Carrie sitting alone in her cell, still crying. She guided Irina out of the warehouse. She was confused, but didn't want to question her mother, not yet anyway. Marshall wasn't where she had left him. Syd knew that something was wrong.  
  
"Marshall?" She yelled out.   
  
"I believe he is searching for the missing guards.." Irina began, "....trying to impress someone."  
  
Syd dismissed it. Marshall wasn't the type to investigate. She knew that Irina had taken out the guards, but they weren't at the top of her priorities right now, she was worried about Marshall. They walked the perimeter of the warehouse, but no sign of Marshall.   
  
"I would be searching for him in that warehouse," Irina said indicating the warehouse opposite from them.  
  
Syd looked at her mother suspiciously. What did she have set up for her? She led her over to the warehouse's door, and pushed Irina in first.   
  
"Marshall?" Syd yelled, her voice echoing.  
  
They could hear footsteps. Marshall came out of a small office at the other end of the warehouse. Irina smiled. She had been right. He motioned for Syd to make her way over. He seemed weirder than usual.  
  
Marshall was still in shock, he'd never discovered bodies before. He re-entered the office and looked down at them. Syd and Irina joined him in the room.  
  
"Oh God," Syd said as she looked down at them, five in total. "You did this."  
  
Irina looked away. Syd heard two cars pull up outside the warehouse. Marshall looked at the two of them, and left the office. Syd looked at her mother.  
  
"Sydney you have to let me go..I can't explain why, i just need you to trust me." Irina pleaded. Sydney had never seen her like this.   
  
"After you did this, after Carrie, you expect me to trust you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Thoughts began to run through Syd's head. If Irina wanted to escape, she would have by now. Unless she was just buying Syd's trust long enough to save herself. She'd done it to her before, why not again? Syd knew she was possibly about to make a mistake...  
  
Sydney unlocked the hand cuffs, and looked at Irina.  
  
"I want an explanation," She said as she watched Irina leave the warehouse from a back entrance, just as three agents entered the warehouse from the front. 


	3. Parts 11 to 15

**Part Eleven**  
  
_LA : Warehouse_  
  
Sydney and Marshall had left the scene. The agents on site had said that they weren't needed for the transfer. Lauren had arrived, on behalf of the NSC. She was to over see Carrie's treatment, and report back to the head office. She watched as Carrie was lead out from the warehouse and into an armoured van. She was chained to the walls of the vehicle, and accompanied by several heavily armed guards.  
  
Lauren gave them the all clear, and within seconds the van could only be seen in the distance. She looked behind her, into the warehouse opposite the one Carrie had been kept in. Several bodies were packed into body bags, and we layed out in a line across the floor. She shivered. She would never get used to the sight of dead bodies. Maybe her father had been right for disallowing her enrolment as a field officer. She sighed and returned back to Base Ops.  
  
_ Base Ops : Rotunda _  
  
"Are we any closer to identifying the shooter?" Syd asked.  
  
"No, without the files, we cannot do anything." Dixon replied.  
  
"Ask Carrie, bargain with her. If it was the Covenant she is the only one who can confirm it."  
  
He looked down. "Syd, something's happened.."  
  
Sydney looked away. It had happened again. She never knew how the Central Intelligence Agency could allow criminals to escape. You'd think the CIA would learn from their mistakes. She shook her head.  
  
"This has happened twice! There's a pattern forming. Who can do the job right if American Intelligence can't?!? Now we'll never know what happened." Syd looked down. She felt like she owed Lazarey. His killer needed to be brought to justice.  
  
"Not entirely," Dixon began, "The files that we thought were destroyed, the files containing the satelite footage have been recovered. But they are encoded. We don't have the personnel to decode the file here, it's been sent to another field office." He said before leaving.   
  
Sydney felt a little better. But she didn't trust other offices, she didn't know how they operated..She would've preferred Marshall to be handling it, but he wasn't in any condition to be working.   
  
_ LA : Hilton Hotel _  
  
Sark entered the hotel's lobby, entirely dressed in black. He wore a wig, spiked black hair with red tips. He pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket, and read the name of the contact he was to meet. He casually walked up to the service desk.  
  
"Hey. I'm Deryck Barker. Is there a package here for me?" He asked cooly in a Californian accent.   
  
The woman behind the desk searched the bundle of papers and various items beside her. She uncovered a small package, and handed it to Sark.   
  
"Thanks man." Sark said as he smiled. He turned away from the desk and opened the package. It contained a key to a room, _711_. Sark threw the packaging into the nearest rubbish bin, and headed for an elevator.   
  
_ LA : Hilton Hotel Room 711   
_  
Sark unlocked the door slowly, checking the corridors for any onlookers. He entered the room, and shut the door behind him. He scanned the room, and noticed his contact sitting in the corner, waiting. He took a seat in the chair opposite, and waited for them to speak.  
  
"Those who have been assoicated with the CIA need to be disposed of. You know as well as I, they are a risk to our partnership."   
  
Sark nodded. "Yes, I am aware of the risk. If the Covenant even began to suspect that I was being disloyal, they would not hesitate to put a bullet in my head. I believe it is your duty to get a certain CIA agent on our side, are we any closer to reaching this goal?"  
  
"They will see our way of thinking, I'm sure of it. The numerous attempts on their lives have been diverted, I don't want it to happen again."  
  
" I will take care of it." Sark replied, before leaving the room.  
  
**Part Twelve**  
  
_ LA : Syd's apartment_  
  
Marshall sat on the floor, playing the XBOX he had brought over from his house. It was early, very early. The sun hadn't even risen, but somehow, Marshall couldn't bring himself to sleep. He was afraid of the nightmares he might have. The nightmares that were even worse than his won reality. He became more involved in the game, Madden Football. He loved it, it gave him an insight into what it would've been like to be a footballer....  
  
Marshall was never the athletic type, he never really fitted in during high school. He was always the guy sitting alone during lunch, the one that was bullied for his lunch money, teased, ignored, and forgotten. The game didn't help lift his sorrows. Usually when he scored a touchdown he would feel proud, and would get up and do a little dance, but right now he couldn't gather the energy.   
  
The phone began to ring. He checked the time, _4:45am_. He quickly picked up the phone, hoping that the ringing wouldn't have woken Sydney.   
  
"Hello?" He asked, he wondered who would be calling at this hour. "Sydney isn't up, but I can take a message..." He waited for a reply.  
  
"I do not want to speak with Sydney," replied a muffled voice. Whoever it was was using a voice concealer.  
  
"What do you want?" Marshall asked quickly, he was nervous.  
  
"I want to tell you the truth, about Carrie. You know that she is a member of the Covenant, but that is not the worst of her lies." The voice said, waiting for Marshall's response.   
  
Marshall was confused, but he stayed silent. He couldn't bring himself to ask the questions he was thinking.   
  
"Carrie isn't pregnant, she never was. It was all a lie, she played your trust." The voice continued, "I'll take your silence as disbelief, I'm sure Sydney would be happy to confirm it."  
  
Marshall's eyes were filled with tears. He couldn't speak, he tried to but the words were stuck in his throat. He still held the phone in his hand, the dial tone ringing through the receiver. He dropped it to the floor, and looked around Syd's apartment. He wasn't sure what to do with himself. He grabbed his jacket, and left the house.  
  
Marshall got into his car, and started the engine. He was in no condition to be driving. Deep down he knew it, but he didn't care. The voice from the call repeated over and over in his mind. _Carrie wasn't pregnant, she was never pregnant. She lied, she lied to him, and he completely trusted her._ His emotions were on overdrive. He put the car into gear and put his foot down, the car sped off, further and further away from Syd's apartment.  
  
_ LA : location unknown _  
  
Marshall pulled over to a spot overlooking a beach. It was well before dawn. He watched the waves rolling into the shore. And he thought about the child that didn't exist. He had so many hopes for his son, or daughter, but now they all just disappeared....   
  
_ LA : Syd's apartment_  
  
Sydney rolled over in bed, trying to get more comfortable. She tried to wake herself up, but she found herself dreaming....  
  
_Sydney stood in the middle of a football field. She turned, looking at the empty seating in the stadium, when she heard a voice calling out her name. She couldn't make out the voice. She turned, to see a man, dressed in a football uniform running towards her. She smiled, and watched as the footballer got closer and closer. She couldn't see his face, the helmet hid it from her view. He stopped in front of her, as she tried to figure out who the face belonged to. She recognised the eyes as Vaughn's. She hugged him. He began to kiss her, and she removed his helmet. She opened her eyes to look at his face. She looked into familiar green eyes, and realised that she was kissing Marshall.....A bell began to sound in the distance......._  
  
Her alarm clock was going off. Sydney quickly sat up in bed. Her dream had startled her. Marshall? She shook the thoughts out of her head, she only had those dreams when she was in love with someone. Like Cory in the 9th Grade, Noah, Danny, and Vaughn...Again, she dismissed the idea as she put on her robe and left her room. She went into the kitchen. The XBOX was still on, Marshall must've left it on when he went to bed. She turned it off and looked at the time. 5:30am. Usually Marshall was up by now. She made herself a coffee and knocked on Marshall's door.  
  
"Marshall, do you want a coffee?" Syd yelled through his closed door. She waited for a reply. Normally he'd reply straight way, he'd respond in some kind of way. She was concerned. She knocked again, but still no answer.   
  
She opened the door and entered her spare room. The bed was empty. Thoughts flashed through Sydney's mind. She looked out the front window, his car was gone. She picked up the phone and called the office. Dixon picked up.  
  
"Dixon! Marshall's missing!" She exclaimed, as she called Marshall's cell phone..It rang behind her. She swore under her breath.  
  
"Alright, don't panic. I'm sure he just went for a drive, but i will make sure that all agents are on alert." Dixon said, trying to re-assure Syd.  
  
She hung up on him, and quickly got dressed. She got into her car and drove to his house. He wasn't there. She drove around aimlessly. Syd had no idea where to even begin a search. Minutes passed and she grew more and more worried.   
  
_ LA : location unknown _  
  
The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon. The sky was changing colour, and Marshall's emotions were now calming down. He wanted to leave L.A, leave it all behind and start new somewhere, maybe Vegas. But deep down he knew he couldn't bring himself to leave. So much of what he loved was situated in the "City of Angels". Marshall thought about his mother, he loved her too much to just abandon her. And work, his work at the CIA was his life. And then there was Sydney....  
  
** Part Thirteen**  
  
_ LA : Syd's apartment_  
  
Sydney pulled into her driveway, next to Marshall's car. She got out of her car as fast as she could, and ran inside. Marshall sat in the kitchen, back to the door.  
  
"Marshall!" Syd exclaimed, "I was so worried, I thought...."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I just, needed to think a few things through...." Marshall stopped himself, he wanted to stay strong, like Sydney. He didn't know how she did it, she was so brave. Marshall wanted to tell Syd about the call, but was too afraid. He wasn't sure if he could hold his emotions together, he'd fallen apart enough in front of her.  
  
Syd noticed that he was hiding something. But she didn't want to push the subject of Carrie, if he wanted to talk to her about it, he would. Sydney slumped down on the lounge while Marshall went into his room. She looked through the documents in front of her, a list of Lazarey's enemies. She wanted to know who killed him, and why. But the CIA no longer had the files in their possession, she had to trust that someone else would uncover the killer. She sighed, and looked back over her shoulder. Marshall stood with photographs in his hands. She tried to see what they were, but couldn't make them out.  
  
Marshall was on the verge of tears. He had a lump in his throat, and was gulping back the tears, trying to keep it together. He concentrated on the photos of an unborn child. Not his, but someone elses. By now Syd was standing in front of him, looking down at the photos in his hands.  
  
"Marshall...." Syd began.  
  
"Don't..." He said, still fighting back tears.  
  
"Marshall I'm so sorry," she continued, watching Marshall's expression change.  
  
"I'm sick of everyone saying that they're sorry. Sorry doesn't change a thing, it doesn't change the lies...Just...don't.." He said as he pushed past her and out the door.   
  
Syd went after him, but stopped at the open door. She watched him reverse out of her drive way, and drive away from the house. She stood at the doorway for minutes, waiting for him to come back, but he didn't. She closed the door and sat down. Someone had told him about the baby. But who? There were too many people that could've known, too many Covenant agents, and few other people.   
  
Sydney thought about Marshall. He had lost the chance to see Carrie, to ask questions, to let out his anger. He never got to say goodbye to the woman that had deceived him, and there was little chance of him ever seeing her again. It was her mother's fault, and she knew it. If Irina hadn't of been there, if she hadn't killed those guards and forced the move, Marshall would have seen Carrie.  
  
_ LA : location unknown _  
  
Sark leaned in and watched the monitor in front of him. Marshall had entered his house. Sark smiled, Marshall was right where they wanted him. The plan was now ready to be carried out. Covenant agents would enter the house, take him hostage and then Sark and his associate would finally have what they wanted. He had to settle his thoughts. Sark knew he couldn't get ahead of himself, especially when the CIA was involved....Bristow. He grabbed his phone and dialled.  
  
"The chicken has returned to the coup, you know what to do."  
  
"Yes," Weiss replied, as he hung up and looked at his partner, Carrie.  
  
**Part Fourteen**  
  
_ LA : Marshall's apartment_  
  
Marshall stood in the lounge room, and looked around his apartment. So many memories, false memories, that he was led to believe. He now had no sympathy for Carrie. All of his thoughts about Carrie had changed, he didn't care what happened to her, she obviously didn't care about him. Did she ever care about him at all? Or was it all just an act? He was still filled with anger. He looked at the photo of Carrie and himself on the coffee table.   
  
Marshall went into the nursery. He sat down in the rocking chair, and closed his eyes. All of his dreams of fatherhood were gone. Everything was perfect. He knew he had to stop getting so worked up over it, but he couldn't help it. Marshall wasn't used to feeling so much hate, he didn't know how to deal with it. Once again he became enraged. He picked up the Noah's Arc lamp beside him, and threw it at the wall. He kicked over various toys and objects on the floor. He over-turned the cot, and broke the numerous ornaments on the bookcase. He stopped and looked down at the mess he had made, trying to catch his breath.   
  
_ Base Ops : Rotunda _  
  
Vaughn checked the feed he was receiving on his computer. It's authenticity was confirmed, Marshall was at his apartment. Vaughn picked up his phone and called Marshall's cell phone. It was turned off. He hung up and redialled, this time calling Syd. He waited a few seconds, before she picked up.  
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Hi, Sydney, you need to get over to Marshall's. He's there alone, we don't know what the Covenant has planted in that apartment. It'd be safer to keep him out of there." Vaughn said,   
  
"Ok. I'll be there in a few minutes."  
  
"The surveillance team would move in, but we need them in place, just in case." He said. He was worried about Sydney. She seemed to be dropping everything in her life to be there for Marshall, and he didn't like it.  
  
"Ok, no problem." She said before hanging up.  
  
Vaughn put the phone down and looked at it. The two of them hadn't had a decent conversation in weeks. He looked up as Lauren left the rotunda. He had been meaning to talk to her, but now he would have to wait.   
  
_ LA : Marshall's apartment_  
  
Marshall turned to leave the nursery. He looked down at the teddy bear in front of him. He picked it up and left the room. Before he could make his way to the door he heard the sound of window breaking. Marshall turned to where the noise had come from. He slowly walked towards the hallway, trying not to make a noise.   
  
"You don't wanna mess with me. You can't mess with magic Marshall." He yelled with a shaky voice, as he picked up the only intact lamp in his house.   
  
Before he could make it down the hallway the front door was kicked in. He spun around to see two figures enter his apartment, dressed from head to toe in black, and armed with guns. Marshall was shaking. He was field rated, but he had no idea how to handle a situation like this. They slowly approached him, as he ran down the hallway into his room. He locked the door and looked for a way to escape. He tried to think of what Syd would do in a situation like this. Marshall scanned the room, and spotted the broken glass on the ground. He looked up at the shattered window pane.   
  
"Oh God, please don't hurt me." He pleaded, but he couldn't see anyone in the room with him.  
  
Marshall jumped as the two figures began to bang on the door. He was panicking. He stood frozen, looking at the door. The two figures stopped banging, and Marshall breathed a sigh of relief. He was startled but a gun shot. They were firing at the lock. It wouldn't be long before they were in the room, before they would get to him.   
  
Marshall was grabbed from behind, one arm around his waist and another around his chest, with a hand covering his mouth to prevent him from yelling. He tried to turn to see who had a hold of him, but whoever it was had a strong grip. He was pulled backwards to the window, turned, and pushed outside. He still couldn't see the face of his captor. They released their grip on him, and he slowly turned to see who it was that had taken him.   
  
**Part Fifteen**  
  
_ LA : Marshall's apartment  
_  
Marshall looked up into the face of his captor.  
  
"Sydney?!?" He exclaimed.  
  
"Shhhh.." She said, trying to keep him quiet, "Come on."  
  
She led him towards the side gate of his house, as the two figures entered Marshall's room. They searched the room, and noticed the broken window. One of them looked out to see Marshall and Sydney running towards a car. They got into Syd's car and sped off. Syd occasionally glanced at her rear view mirror to see if they were being followed. She drove them around in circles, making sure that they weren't being tailed. Convinced that they weren't followed, she headed back in the direction of her house.   
  
Marshall glanced over at Syd, and tried to get up the courage to thank her. He had done it so often, he didn't know why it was so hard for him to say it this time. He looked down at his feet, and at the teddy bear he still had in his hands. He couldn't believe he had held onto it. Syd noticed the bear in his hands, and glanced up at him. They pulled into her driveway. Sydney undid her seatbelt and began to open the car door. Marshall grabbed her hand, and kept her inside the car.  
  
"Syd....thank you." He said sincerely.  
  
Sydney smiled, "You don't have to thank me, it's my job to keep you safe." Marshall smiled. She remembered what he had said on their first mission. The two of them sat in the car for a few seconds, before heading into the apartment.  
  
_ LA : carpark _  
  
Lauren sat in her car and waited for her contact to arrive. She had been meeting with someone a lot over the past year, acquiring intel and various pieces of information that helped her with her mission. She looked down at her watch, her contact should be there any second. She turned to watch a car enter the carpark, and slowly pull up next to her. She stayed in her car as her contact got out of his. He opened her passenger car door and sat down in the seat.  
  
"I understand you wanted to meet with me...why?" Sark asked, curiously. He had never trusted Lauren, he never believed that her loyalty lied with the Covenant, and one day he hoped to prove himself right.  
  
"Yes, I believe my position within the NSC and the CIA may be in jeopardy." Lauren said, seriously.  
  
"And why is that?"   
  
"They have recovered the file containing the satelite footage. It is now being decrypted and analysed in another government facility, a facility that i cannot access." Lauren knew that Sark would be dissapointed.  
  
"We can't have that happen, can we?" He asked, smugly.  
  
Lauren was relieved, she thought that Sark would have been angry with her, "No, we can't. What do you propose i do?"  
  
Sark looked out the window, and took of his sunglasses. He looked back at Lauren, and pulled out a baretta fitted with a silencer. Lauren's expression changed to shock, as Sark shot her three times. He stepped out of the car, and closed the door. He looked in through the window, and waved at Lauren's lifeless body, before getting into his own car and leaving the scene.  
  
_ LA : Streets _  
  
Sark smiled as he replaced his sunglasses over his eyes. He knew that he was right, one day the Covenant would order the kill, and his early suspicions would be proved correct. Lauren Reed was never a good agent, neither for the Covenant or the NSC. The higher stationed members of the Covenant should have taken more notice of him, and now maybe they would.  
  
Sark's phone began to ring. He looked down at the phone beside him, and picked it up.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Mr Sark, we have bad news," Weiss said, little confidence in his voice.  
  
Sark's pleased expression morphed into anger, he had been failed him again.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Bristow, some how she knew, swooped in and saved him." Weiss replied, while chewing on a chocolate bar. He waited for Sark's response.  
  
Sark slammed down the phone, and changed his car into a higher gear. He was fuming. 


	4. Parts 16 to 20

**Part Sixteen**  
  
_ LA : Syd's apartment_  
  
"Do you have any idea who it could have been?" Asked Vaughn.  
  
Marshall shook his head, and looked down at the cut on his arm. He'd cut it on the way out of the window, the broken glass had grazed it. He winced as Syd put rubbed on antiseptic cream, and wrapped it in a bandage.  
  
"The footage we have of the attempted kidnapping reveals nothing. We can only assume that it's Covenant..." Vaughn said, looking down at the ground. Marshall and Sydney seemed so comfortable with each other. Sydney looked up at Vaughn.  
  
"Covenant, why would they want Marshall?"   
  
Vaughn shrugged. He didn't have an explanation. He stood back as Syd helped Marshall stand up. He wasn't feeling that well, the sight of blood made him feel nauscious. She led him to the lounge, and aided him as he sat down. Vaughn left the apartment and headed back to the rotunda. He _needed _to talk with Lauren.  
  
_ LA : Location Unknown   
_  
"If I want this to be done correctly, I will have to do it myself." Sark said to himself before making a call.  
  
"Hello?" A voice answered.  
  
"Carrie..I have heard about your concerns for the agent you betrayed. I am willing to allow you to set up a meet, but under my circumstances..." Sark began to explain, and soon, Carrie had agreed to his proposal. He hung up on her and dialled another number.  
  
"I have arranged for a meet. I will be nearby, and I will make sure that our objective is accomplished." Sark said confidently to his associate who made no answer.   
  
"Good. Then we shall have what we want by noon tomorrow?"  
  
"I imagine so. I will contact you with further details." Sark said, placing the phone down on the table. He picked up a remote and pressed play. He watched the two agents fail him. The objective was simple, and yet they failed him. Sark stopped the tape and left the room, he had business to attend to.  
  
_ LA : Syd's apartment_  
  
Marshall sat up and rested his head in his hands. He was still feeling a bit sick. He looked around the apartment, but couldn't see Sydney anywhere. He stood as the phone began to ring. He could hear Syd stumbling around in the bathroom.  
  
"I'll get it," he yelled out. He picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"  
  
"Marshall, we need to talk..."  
  
"Carrie?" Marshall was surprised. He never thought he'd talk to her again..."What are you, why..."  
  
Sydney stuck her head out of the bathroom, and gave Marshall a questioning look. He covered the mouthpiece and mouthed the name of the person he was talking to. She frowned and came out from behind the door, dressed in nothing but a towel. Marshall raised his eyebrows, but his attention was brought back to the phone conversation.  
  
"I need to meet with you. I want to explain everything. Please?" She pleaded. Carrie knew that she didn't deserve this chance, but she knew Marshall would want to know why she had done these things to him.  
  
"Meet? Where?" He looked at Syd, who handed him a pen and a piece of paper. He scribbled down an address and a time, before she hung up on him. Realising that he had been holding his breath, he let out a sigh and looked down at the paper.   
  
"You can't go, they're setting you up Marshall."  
  
He frowned and looked up at Syd, " I have to, you know I do, I need to know..." He stopped talking and looked back down at the address in front of him. The meeting would take place at 11am in a warehouse downtown.   
  
"I'll arrange full back-up. I don't want to run the risk of losing you." Syd said as she picked up the phone and made several calls.  
  
Marshall would finally get the answers to his questions. He sat down and listened to Sydney's phone conversations. He appreciated what she was doing for him, always looking out for her buddy. Buddy? He frowned...  
  
**Part Seventeen**  
  
_ LA : Warehouse downtown_  
  
Sark waited in a warehouse nearby, a team of Covenant agents surrounded him.  
  
"Two birds with one stone," He said to himself, smiling as he waited for the action to begin.  
  
In the opposite warehouse Sydney and a large team of CIA agents waited, ready for anything that the Covenant might throw their way.  
  
Marshall slowly walked towards the warehouse where the meeting was to take place. He was nervous, and had broken out in a cold sweat on the drive there. He checked the comm in his ear.   
  
"Syd?" He said a little loudly.  
  
Sydney winced, "Yes?" She asked.  
  
"Sorry, i'm just a little..."  
  
"I know, calm down. You'll be fine." She said reassuringly.  
  
Marshall stopped in front of the large roller door that led into the warehouse. He breathed in deeply, and lifted the handle on the door. Slowly it rose, revealing the interior of the warehouse. It was completey bare except for a few cardboard boxes, and an old chair. Rows and rows of concrete columns held the warehouse's room up. He stepped into the large room, and began to make his way to the centre. He scanned the room, looking for any sign of Carrie, or the Covenant. His gaze stopped on the woman almost directly in front of him...Carrie. His heart began to pound within his chest, he wasn't ready for this.  
  
Carrie stepped forward, and smiled. She was so happy to see him again. She would never admit that she missed him. The two of them met at the centre of the warehouse, and stood in silence. Carrie had never felt this awkward in her life. How would she say sorry to the man who believed so many lies? Finally she broke the silence.  
  
"I didn't think you would come."   
  
Marshall just looked at her. He wondered why she didn't look any different. He always pictured that she would have changed. In his mind she would be dressed in black, with dark eyeliner, the signature of evil. He didn't know what to say.  
  
"I don't deserve to see you again, but you need to know the truth...." Carrie leaned against one of the columns, and looked down at the ground.  
  
"I've always been a member of the Covenant, longer than i've been with the NSC. My first assignment was to get a transfer, get into a CIA office so that I could access certain files. I didn't know I would end up doing what I did....." She trailed off.  
  
"Then why?" Marshall asked softly.  
  
"Orders. I never meant to hurt you. It was supposed to be easy. I never thought i'd actually fall in..."  
  
"Oh please. You expect me to believe that, believe your lies? Everything you've ever said to me has been a lie!" Marshall snapped.  
  
Carrie looked away, tears in her eyes. She'd never seen Marshall with so much anger.   
  
"I can't do this." Carrie said as tears rolled down her cheeks. She took the comm out of her ear and threw it to the floor. "I'm sorry." She began to walk away as the back entrance to the warehouse caved in. A dozen agents poured into the warehouse, all holding guns. They began firing. Carrie and Marshall ran behind the concrete columns, protecting themselves from the gunfire.  
  
CIA agents spilled into the warehouse, and a battle between both sides began. Agents from both sides were being killed. Marshall looked at Carrie with disbelief, she had set him up. Sydney was right. He looked at the CIA agents, all lined up next to each other, firing at the enemy. Syd and Vaughn were a part of that line, and Marshall was afraid. Carrie looked at the Covenant agents. She spotted Weiss amongst them. Both sides were advancing, using the columns as cover from enemy fire.  
  
Sydney reached Marshall and pulled him towards the exit, keeping herself in between him and the Covenant. Marshall stood outside the warehouse, listening to the fight that was occurring inside. He couldn't stand being outside while agents were dying. He re-entered the warehouse. Fallen agents lay scattered across the floor, he reached down and picked up a gun. There were only four Covenant agents remaining, including Weiss and Carrie. Syd, Vaughn and Marshall were the only remaining CIA agents. The gunfire continued. Weiss focused on Vaughn, but his accuracy was off. Syd shot down two agents, leaving Carrie and Weiss. Weiss fired his last shot and threw down his gun, while searching for another with ammunition. The bullet flew straight into Vaughn's arm, causing him to fall to the ground on impact. The two CIA agents attention was diverted to Vaughn. Marshall leant down beside him.   
  
Within seconds Carrie was within metres of Syd, a gun aimed at her head. Marshall slowly stood, keeping his eyes on Carrie. Sydney dropped her gun and put her arms in the air. Marshall didn't know what to do, he didn't want to kill Carrie, but he didn't want to let her kill Syd. He felt the gun in his hands. He raised it and aimed at Carrie. She smiled at him, she knew he wouldn't shoot. Carrie fired at Syd, shooting three bullets into Syd's chest. Carrie had been wrong about Marshall. He fired two shots. One missed the target, but the other caught her in the shoulder. She was pushed backwards with the momentum, and fell to the ground. Marshall ran quickly towards Syd. He leant beside her and looked at the three bullet holes in her shirt. Syd was breathing quickly, and looked up into his eyes.   
  
"I'm ok, I'm ok. I'm wearing a vest." Syd said while trying to catch her breath. The shots had knocked the breath out of her.  
  
The two of them stood up together. Syd picked up her gun and looked for Weiss, but only caught a glance of him as he ran from the warehouse. Marshall stood in shock, looking down at Carrie's body.   
  
Syd ran out the exit, following Weiss down the small alley. She yelled out to him. She knew she wouldn't catch him. He looked back at her as he continued to run, the distance between the two of them increased with every step he made. He looked back in front of him, but was stopped suddenly. Before him stood a woman. Sydney frowned as she watched the woman talk to him. She began to approach, when a shot rang out throughout the alley. Weiss' body fell to the ground, and the woman disappeared. She ran to Weiss, and looked for the woman that had shot him. There was no sign of her. She returned back to the warehouse.  
  
Vaughn was leaning against the wall, keeping pressure on his wound. Her eyes swept the room for Marshall, and found him bent over Carrie, he was holding her hand. Syd looked down, before making her way over to them. She passed the numerous bodies of fallen agents, from both sides. So many agents had died, at least they now had Carrie. She stood beside Vaughn, and looked at his wound. He grimaced in pain as she tore away his sleeve.   
  
"An ambulance is on the way," Vaughn said softly, as he looked over at Carrie and Marshall, and then back at Sydney.  
  
**Part Eighteen**  
  
_ LA : Warehouse downtown_  
  
Sark stepped over the numerous bodies that lay across the floor. He searched each of them, but couldn't find the intended victims. Carrie had failed him, and he had failed himself. Now she was in CIA custody, and his associate and himself still didn't have what they wanted. Angered he kicked one of the body's close by, and left the warehouse. Luckily, he had a back-up plan if this were to fail.  
  
_ LA : Hospital_  
  
Sydney looked into the heavily guarded room. Carrie lay unconscious on the hospital bed, her arms and feet chained to the bed in case of escape, and two armed guards stood outside the heavy doors. There was no way she could escape from this CIA hospital. They were now close to finding out the identity of Lazarey's killer. She watched Marshall, as he sat beside the bed. He was holding onto her hand, and watched her as she breathed. He still loved her, Sydney knew it. She folded her arms and looked away.   
  
She watched as Dixon left Vaughn's hospital room. He didn't look like the Dixon she was so used to seeing every day. She knew that many agents had died that day, but she didn't know he was particularly close to any of them. He passed her, and she smiled. His expression didn't change. He left the hospital. She headed towards Vaughn's room, she thought he was asleep. She took a seat beside him, and looked down at his arm. He wouldn't be in hospital for long, maybe one or two days. Syd watched Vaughn as he slept. She picked up his hand and held it in hers. Syd hadn't seen Lauren yet. She figured that Lauren was probably still working, and couldn't get away to visit her husband.   
  
He soon woke and looked up at Sydney, half expecting to see Lauren beside him. But he knew that would never happen again....she was dead. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at Syd. It should be Lauren in that chair, not her. He looked down at his hand, which was being gripped by Sydney. He drew it away, and looked down at his ring. Syd was concerned, she had no idea why he was so upset.  
  
"Vaughn, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned. She leant forward.  
  
He wiped the tears away and looked away from Syd, "She's gone. Lauren's dead."   
  
"Oh my God, Vaughn...I'm so sorry." She said, waiting for Vaughn to look at her.   
  
He turned to her, "She did it Sydney, she killed Lazarey.....She was Covenant."  
  
Sydney frowned. Lauren killed Lazarey? It didn't make sense. There were so many moles within the CIA, how could they get past security without being discovered. That's why Dixon looked so different. She now had tears in her eyes. Vaughn re-focused on his wedding ring. He slowly slid it off and threw it to the ground, as he fell apart. He hid his face in his hands as he cried. Sydney sat on his bed beside him and hugged him. They stayed that way for minutes, as Vaughn let it all out.   
  
Syd noticed a figure in front of her. She looked over Vaughn's shoulder, at the doorway. Marshall stood there, looking in at the two of them. His face was filled with hurt. He slowly turned away and disappeared from her sight. Syd didn't know what to do, they both needed her now. She slowly pulled herself away from Vaughn, as he continued to sob. She felt bad for leaving him in the condition he was in. She looked back at him as he curled up under the covers. She left his room. She looked for Marshall, and spotted him down the hallway, wandering slowly towards the exit. He looked almost lost. She looked back at Vaughn's door, before she made her way towards Marshall.  
  
"Marshall!" She yelled out to him, hoping that her voice would carry over the noises of the hospital.   
  
He stopped walking, and turned to see Sydney walking towards him. His face lit up, as she got closer and closer to him. Syd stopped in front of him. A small part of her wanted to stay with Vaughn, but the rest of her wanted to comfort Marshall. She put her arm around his shoulder, and the two of them left the hospital together.  
  
"You are aware of the risks?" Sark asked, knowing that it would be possible that his associate would be identified.  
  
"Of course. I won't be caught, and neither will you. I'm in position. Sydney just left the building. Accessing the hospitals control system now." His associate replied to him.  
  
**Part Nineteen**  
  
_ LA : Hospital_  
  
Sark stood outside in the cover of darkness, waiting for the lighting in the hospital to be switched off. He looked down at his watch and pulled the night-vision goggles over his eyes. His associate typed in several commands into the main computer. They looped the video footage as the lighting controls were accessed. Within seconds every light in the hospital went out, and this particular section of the hospital was in lockdown. Sark stepped into the hospital corridor and shot each person he came into contact with. He stepped over the bodies and walked down the corridor.  
  
"5th room on your left, you'll need an access card." Sark's associate said through their comm system.  
  
He continued down the corridor. He stopped in front of the room, and looked down at the two guards. He searched both, retrieving an access card. He swiped the card, and immediately the door opened. Carrie appeared to be asleep before him. She wouldn't have been awoken, because he had used a silencer. He walked to the foot of the bed, and aimed the gun at her head. She sensed the presence of another person in the room. Carrie slowly woke and sat up, looking directly at the gun aimed at her head. She looked up at Sark, with a confused look on her face.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Unlike you, Miss Bowman, I have no problem carrying out orders."  
  
"The Covenant has no grounds to..."  
  
"No, they don't..." Sark replied. He tightened his grip on the trigger and fired.  
  
Carrie's body slumped back in her bed. Sark left the room, and met with his associate outside the building.  
  
_ LA : Syd's apartment_  
  
Sydney answered the phone, as Dixon began to tell her about the events that occurred at the hospital the night before.  
  
"Sydney, something's happened at the hospital. Several patients and nurses were shot last night."   
  
"Oh my God. Do we know who? Is Vaughn...?" Syd asked.  
  
"We do not know at this point. Agent Vaughn is fine, he was moved to a different ward a little after you left." Dixon replied. He looked up as Jack approached him. "I need to speak with Marshall."  
  
Sydney handed the phone over to Marshall. She watched as his expression changed. Tears filled his eyes once again, as he sat down in the chair behind him. He'd wished she was dead, but he didn't know he would feel this way now that she was. He dropped the phone, and sat in silence. Syd picked up the phone, and sat beside him. He rested his head on her shoulder, and the two of them sat there, without saying a single word.  
  
_ LA : location unknown  
_  
"We've removed the potential risks, now all we need is the agent."   
  
"Yes, and we will have him soon. We had a chance at the hospital, but we must wait for the right moment. If no harm is to come to Sydney, then we may be waiting for months." Sark replied.  
  
"Yes. We've waited long enough, I believe we can last a few months longer...As long as the CIA or the Covenant do not discover what we have, we are safe." The associate replied.  
  
Sark nodded. They now had everything planned. They just needed the right situation for them to carry things out. He realised that this may not be for some time, as the agent in question would surely be removed from active duty for at least a month. He leaned back in his chair and watched his associate leave.   
  
**Part Twenty**  
  
_ LA : Cemetary _  
  
The CIA agents stood surrounding a memorial plaque, which depicted the 3 names of the lost double agents. Although those 3 agents, Carrie, Weiss and Lauren had betrayed them all, every agent that stood by that plaque felt that it was their duty to pay their respects. In some cases, the dead were loved ones, close friends, or colleagues. It seemed fitting to them all. The day before a memorial service had been conducted for the CIA agents that had lost their lives while serving their country. Hundreds were present then, which largely contrasted to the dozen that stood in the cemetary now.  
  
The closest to the deceased stood in a circle around the plaque. Dixon, Jack, Marshall, Sydney and Vaughn made up the inner circle, and were surrounded by other agents from the office. Agents paid their respects and left, one by one, until only the inner circle remained. Sydney was holding Marshall's hand. So far he had stayed strong, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he would break down. Vaughn hadn't shed a single tear since the service had begun, and it didn't seem like he was going to. Dixon and Jack were the first to leave. They left the circle, and headed for their cars which were parked nearby. Sydney watched the two of them go. She moved slightly, trying to slowly leave the two grieving men alone. Marshall squeezed her hand tightly, letting her know that he wanted her to stay. She looked up at Marshall, he had tears in his eyes. He still hadn't taken his eyes away from Carrie's name. He wasn't ready to let go.   
  
Vaughn leant down, and placed a bunch of white roses beside the plaque, before leaving Marshall and Sydney. He passed Jack and Dixon, who were watching from their cars. Dixon and Vaughn left the cemetary, leaving the Bristows and Marshall behind.   
  
Marshall began to cry. Tears ran down his cheeks and his body began to shake. Seeing her name on the plaque, it made him realise that she was really gone. He had felt the same way at Sydney's funeral, seeing her ashes blow away in the wind. He closed his eyes, and wiped away the tears. Seeing Sydney's name on the wall in the office was hard for him, but going through it again, it was too much to handle. He leant down, and touched the plaque. He ran his fingers across the engravings, and placed the white roses that he held beside the plaque.   
  
"I'll miss you," he whispered softly, before slowly standing. Fresh tears were spilling down his cheeks.   
  
He looked up at Sydney. She had tears in her eyes. Marshall stood with his hands in his pockets, while looking down at her name. The wind blew at his clothing, but still, he stayed standing in the same position. Syd knew that Marshall needed some time alone. She hugged him, and whispered something into his ear, before leaving his side. Syd walked towards the car, where Jack was waiting. He hugged his daughter, before opening the car door for her. She smiled, and looked back one more time, before getting into the car.   
  
She watched as Jack approached Marshall. She smiled as she watched Jack stand beside Marshall, she was happy to see the two men she loved, side by side. Syd still had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and turned her attention to the heater within the car.  
  
Marshall looked up at Jack, after realising that he had been standing there for quite a while. Marshall half smiled, and looked back down at the plaque. Jack's presence comforted him. Sydney watched the two of them talk. She wondered what her father was saying to Marshall...Probably something about letting go, or his knowledge on losing a wife.   
  
Marshall suddenly hugged Jack. Sydney was as surprised as Jack was. He patted Marshall on the back, as he stopped hugging him. Jack wasn't sure what to do, he had already said what he had wanted to, but there was something he wanted to show Marshall, something he had never shown anyone before.  
  
The two of them began to walk away from the plaque in the opposite direction of the car. Syd frowned and watched as they disappeared over the hill. Jack led Marshall down the hill, to a grave beneath a large oak tree. They stopped in front of the grave. Jack bent down, and cleared the tree branch that covered the name. _Laura Bristow_. He placed a single rose in front of the grave, and stood up. Marshall was surprised. He still visited the grave of his wife, even though she is still alive.  
  
"The Laura I knew, the woman I was in love with, was different to the woman she really was. Irina Derevko is nothing like the woman she pretended to be. Irina may be alive, but Laura, the fake identity no longer exists. I mourn the loss, even though she was never real." Jack said, looking down at Marshall, who was slightly nodding as Jack finished talking.  
  
"You fell in love with the Carrie you knew. You cannot help that you loved her, and you cannot change that she was different to what you knew...." Jack trailed off. He felt stupid for saying these things to Marshall.  
  
"I understand." Marshall said, realising that Jack wasn't going to finish what he was saying. 


End file.
